Contrary yeast?

[pomme homme]

The harvest from my vines was not particularly good this year but I produced 30 litres of white grape (Noah) juice and 6 litres of red grape (Oberlin) juice. Because the OG (brix) was 15.6 (Noah) and 17.8 (Oberlin), I had to chapitalise them, aiming for 12% (Noah) and 13% (Oberlin) ABV. The Noah went into a large plastic fermenting vessel and the Oberlin into a one gallon demijohn and a half gallon demijohn. Using warm water and a little granulated sugar, I made three starters, each containing exactly the same yeast (SIHA Active Yeast 3 from E.Begerow Gmbh) from the same pack in the prescribed quantities for the volumes of juice. These were added, along with air locks, to the respective containers and on 17 October they were put into our boiler room (which is warm, but not hot, as at this time of the year the boiler only heats our water - we're hardy creatures and prefer to use log stoves, rather than central heating, to keep warm). By the following day the one gallon demijohn was fermenting and bubbling merrily through the airlock. But the other two showed no signs of life. Patience, thought I, and so I waited for another four days. On 22 October still the other two were inactive. So I made up another two starters and added them to the respective containers. Also I raised all three containers off the floor using a pallet covered with a blanket. The result? Continuing inertia on the part of the recalcitrant pair! I waited, but there was no change. A week later I gave up on them, but saw no point in not leaving them where they are. The one gallon demijohn finished fermenting (or, at least, the bubbling through the airlock is almost imperceptible). Then last Monday morning (7 November), as I appoached the boiler room I could hear activity before I went in. When I entered, the two reticent containers had sprung into life and were fermenting like gooduns - so much so that by the end of the day the airlock of the plastic container contained yeast solution, rather than water, and I've had to change this several times since. Four days later they are still violently active (well, they have enjoyed twice as much yeast as intended). Would any of you experts out there care to hazard an opinion by way of an explanation of this phenomenon?

 

[pomme homme]

I've missed out one fact - of which my wife has just reminded me - which is that the red wine underwent about a week's aerobic fermentation before being transferred to the demijohns to start its anaerobic fermentation.

 

[Dutto]

It's probably just a matter of patience.

It better be because the only other explanation is the the white wine kicked off with a wild yeast instead of the one you chose!

If you are getting krausen in the air-lock it may be better to use a Bubble Tube system as shown in the photograph.

We are only just back from ten weeks at Severac 44530 and the Bourru was no longer on sale in the shops so I presume that you had a late harvest which may also have affected the yeast when it was originally pitched.

Personally, if I lived out there permanently I would cultivate the yeast from a bottle of early Bourru and then use that for my wine.

I hope it ferments out okay. Keep us posted. :thumb:

 

[pomme homme]

Thank you, Dutto.

Whilst I haven't been looking actively, now that you mention it I don't recollect seeing bourru in the supermarkets this year. But I'm going shopping tomorrow so I'll take a look in the local LeClerc.

It shouldn't be a wild yeast problem. The fermenting vessels were cleaned and sterilised and Campden tablets were added to the grape juice. But even if it was, I'm still at a loss to explain the difference in behaviour between the two demijohns which contain the Oberlin. The grapes came from the same vines; they were crushed and pressed together; the aerobic fermentation was in a single vessel; and only then was it split into the two demijohns for anaerobic fermentation. It was at that stage that the one continued fermentation and the other stopped.

I suppose that my enquiry is really of academic interest, in that the second Oberlin and the Noah are now engaged in vigourous fermentation. But your photograph is most helpful and I'll now go to the boiler room and replace the airlock with your suggested bubble tube system.

Well, it's just a case of now shaking down the apples remaining on the trees and making a start on this year's cider production!

A bientôt from a sunny 79320.

p.s. I assume that unit containing your fermenting wine is a defunct freezer and not an ingenious attempt to produce eiswein!

p.p.s. I'll bear in mind for next year your suggestion of cultivating the yeast from a bottle of bourru - unless I find it in the supermarket tomorrow and you think that it can be used for cider!

 

[Dutto]

..........

p.s. I assume that unit containing your fermenting wine is a defunct freezer and not an ingenious attempt to produce eiswein!

p.p.s. I'll bear in mind for next year your suggestion of cultivating the yeast from a bottle of bourru - unless I find it in the supermarket tomorrow and you think that it can be used for cider!

I think one of the reasons I like brewing is the uncertainty; then again, maybe my methodology is what makes it "uncertain"! :whistle: :whistle:

I left a batch of lager in the fridge for the 10 weeks we were away, gently chuntering along at 10 degrees. I bottled it last Monday so looking forward to tasting it on or about the 24th and it should be great for Christmas.

Of course, at this time of the year the cooling is disconnected and the small heater at the bottom is all that is required; which is why it is now on cider fermentation duty! :thumb: :thumb:

Hmmmm! Not sure on using bourru yeast for cider, even though I am using a wine yeast for the cider currently in the fridge. My excuse is that Skegness isn't the centre of the Universe for yeast shopping so when brewing "on a whim" rather than "on a plan" I do tend to use whatever yeast is available.

My taste buds are about shot anyway (old age and living in India to give two good reasons) so I can't say that I can particularly taste any major difference between the "brewing" yeasts.

79230 is a nice area but I believe it can get chilly in winter whereas 44530 is mainly damp and managed to deliver seven continuous days of rain and fog; which is why we are now back in Skegness a couple of weeks early!

Enjoy the wine as I'm sure that it will turn out okay; and good luck with the cider. :thumb: :thumb:

 

[pomme homme]

Skeggie is milder than St Gildas-des-Bois?

 

[Dutto]

Skeggie is milder than St Gildas-des-Bois?

Not really, but it is a lot drier ... :thumb: :thumb:

... plus we live in a bungalow with all facilities and not in a motorhome! :lol: :lol:

 

[pomme homme]

I hope it ferments out okay. Keep us posted.

I'm pleased to report that the Noah is now calming down, although the Oberlin is still rather on the 'excited' side! So I can get on with making cider before returning to rack off the wine. And after that I can look forward to the arrival in this area of the man who I'm not allowed to mention with the equipment that I'm not allowed to mention to make the drimk I'm not allowed to mention by the method that I'm not allowed to mention! :whistle:

 

[Dutto]

Friends in St Nazaire keep finding a lot of unmentionable liquids and some of it finds its way into our house. :whistle:

Used to rehydrate prunes, after about six months the resulting prunes are magic with ice-cream for a dinner-time desert; and absolutely lethal when chucked into some breakfast porridge.

Enjoy! :thumb: